How to List Linux Services?

In Linux systems, services are an integral part of the operating system, responsible for managing various processes and applications. These services can be crucial for the system's functioning and often require monitoring and management. As a Linux user or administrator, it is essential to know how to list and check the status of these services. This article will guide you through different methods to list Linux services effectively.

List Linux Services Using systemctl

One of the most commonly used commands to manage services in Linux is systemctl. It provides a robust and efficient way to control the system's services. Let's explore the various options available with systemctl to list Linux services.

List All Services

To list all services on your Linux system, you can use the following command:

This command will display a comprehensive list of all services along with their current status, including running, enabled, and disabled services.

List Loaded Services

If you are interested in knowing only the services that are currently loaded in the system, you can use the following command:

This command will provide a filtered list that includes only the services that are currently loaded in memory.

List Running Services

To get a list of all running services, use the following command:

This command will display a list of services that are actively running on the system.

List Enabled Services

Services that are set to start automatically during system boot-up are known as enabled services. To list these services, you can use the following command:

This command will show all the services that are configured to start automatically when the system boots.

List Disabled Services

Similarly, to list the services that are currently disabled, use the following command:

This command will display a list of services that are not set to start automatically during system boot.

Check Service Status

To check the status of a particular service, you can use the status command followed by the service name. For example, to check the status of the Apache web server service, you would run:

This command will provide detailed information about the service, including whether it is running or stopped.

List Linux Services Using Service Command

In addition to systemctl, another command commonly used to manage services in Linux is the service command. While systemctl is the recommended and more feature-rich option, the service command is still available on many Linux distributions. Here's how you can use it to list Linux services.

To list all services using the service command, run the following command:

This command will display a list of services along with their status, indicating whether they are running or stopped. However, note that the output may vary depending on your Linux distribution and version.

List Unit Files Using systemctl

Apart from listing services, you can also use systemctl to list unit files. Unit files are configuration files that define how services, sockets, devices, and other systemd units should behave. To list unit files, you can use the following command:

This command will display a comprehensive list of all unit files available on your Linux system, including service unit files, socket unit files, device unit files, and more.

The output will show the unit file name, its associated type, and the current state (enabled, disabled, static, or masked) of the unit.

ist Linux Services Using Upstart

While systemd has become the standard init system in most Linux distributions, some older distributions may still use Upstart as the init system. If you are using such a distribution, you can use the following command to list services managed by Upstart:

This command will display a list of services along with their current status.

ist Linux Services Using SysVinit

SysVinit is another init system that was widely used in older Linux distributions. To list services managed by SysVinit, you can use the following command:

This command will display a list of services along with their status, similar to the service --status-all command mentioned earlier.

Managing Services with Systemd

Starting and Stopping Services

To start a service using systemd, you can use the following command:

Similarly, to stop a service, you can use:

Restarting and Reloading Services

To restart a service, you can use the restart command:

If you only want to reload the configuration of a service without stopping and starting it, you can use the reload command:

Enabling and Disabling Services

Enabling a service means configuring it to start automatically during system boot. This can be done using the enable command:

Conversely, to disable a service from starting automatically during boot, you can use the disable command:

Viewing Service Logs

Systemd captures logs for services, making it easier to troubleshoot issues. To view the logs for a specific service, you can use the journalctl command:

This command will display the logs related to the specified service.

Filtering and Sorting Service Output

The systemctl command provides additional options to filter and sort the service output. For example, you can use the --reverse option to reverse the order of the output, or the --property option to filter services based on specific properties. Check the systemctl man page for more details on these options.